Connecting means for tubular elements



Dec. 1

B. N. BROIDO CONNECTING MEANS FOR TUBULAR ELEMENTS Fild May 24, 1924 I IINVENTOR BENJflfl/A Bkb/oo Patented Dec. 14,192

BENJAMIN n. 3301150, or New PATsN-r oFF-IcE.

YORK. N. Y.,' AssIenoR Tb THE surnannnrnn COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

Application filed May 24 This invention relates to super-heaters andother structures which include tubular ele-. ments and has for itsobject to providev a novel and efficient means whereby tubular elements,as exemplified more particularly by superheater elements, areoperatively combined in groups and connected with each other or withother structural devices. Other more specific objects will appear fromthe description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointedout in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an example of theinvention without defining its limits, Fig. 1 is an elevation,

partly in section showing a group of tubes with the invention combinedtherewith; Fig. 2 is asection on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is asimilar view on the line 33 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a section on theline 44 of Fig. 1 looking infithe direction of the arrow.

For convenience and because the invention is particularly adapted tosuch use, I

.tubesll are in connection; said tube-s and 11, at their opposed endsbeing provided respectively as shown in Fig. 1 with em larged heads '12and 13. The heads 12 and 13 each include spherically formed outer ends14 and 15 and-have similarly formed annular shoulders 16 located attheir inner ends as illustrated in Fig. 1. The spherical formed outerends 14 and 15-arewseated in conical-shaped (pairs of seats or recesses17 and 18 provide on opposite sides ot a connecting member 19, eachrecess 17 being arranged inspaced axial. registry with a correspondingrecess18 with which it is connected by a passage 20 extendingtransversely through the connecting member-19.

.By making the recesses 17 and 18 of a.-conical'configuration and theends 14 and 15 of the heads 12 and 13 spherical, a line c9ntact, (asmore clearly shown in Fig.4) between the accommodate dummies arts isobtained. The arranges,

1924. Serial No. 715,739.

will communicate with each other through the passages 20. The connectingmember 19 a is preferably provided with a plurality of conical-shapedrecesses 17 and a corresponding number of recesses 18 sufficient toaccommodate the-tubes TO and 11 of a given group or assembly which grup" ordinarily will include four'pairsof tribes. In some instances thenumber of tubes in a given group or assembly'jmay be less than fourpairs, therefore the superfluous recesses may as will appear'more fullyhereinafter. Y

Thus in the illustrated'example, the memb.61- 19 is provided with fourrecesses 17 and four recesses 18 while the assembly or group includesbut three superheater tubes 10 and three tubes'll." The fourth pairofrecesses vided with heads 12 and 13 having spheri cally formed ends 14and 15 correspond ing. to the previously described ends 14 and" 15, andseated inthe fourth pair of recesses 17 and 18 /respectively; the ,heads12 and 13 further include spherically formed annular shoulders 16similar to the annular I shoulders 16.

Collars 21" and 22 are positioned respectively upon the tubes 10 and 11in engagementwith the shoulders 16' thereof; similar rings 21 and 22being located upon the dummies 1O and11 in contact with the shoulders16*.as shown iriFig. 1 The arrange ment further includes clampingmembers 23 which extend between each pair of tubes 10 orbetween a tube10 and a dumniylO and are recessed as indicated at 24 to span said tubesand dummy as shown in Fig.2. The

members 23 are arrang'd to engage thecolhis 21 and may'beprovided; withprojections 25 for this purpose; the engagement of the projections 25with the rings 21', as

illustrated in the drawing, beingv efl'ected upon opposite sides pf eachtube 10.or dummy 10 substantially in alignment with-the longitudinalaxis of the tubes, so that the clamping forces exerted by the device areevenly applied :inddistributed. The upper surface of the-clampingmembers 23 is reces'sed as at 26 to provide a seat for the reduced endof a. washer 27 against which the nut 28 en ages; the recess 26preferably being of a. spli end. of the washer 27 being spherical so aserical shape and the reduced to be self-adjusting, similar to theengagement of the ends of the tubes with the recesses 17 and 18.-Additi'onal clamping members 23 extend between each pair ofsuper-heater tubes 11 or between a tube 11 and a dummy 11 and saidclamping members are'provided with recesses 24 having projections 25similar to the projections 2Q,

whereby the engagement of the 1nember23v with thecollars 22 is alsoeffected upon opposite sides ofth'e elements '11 and dummy ll -in themanner hereinbefore set forth. Each clamping member 23 is provided witha groove 28 into which the head 29 of a T- bolt 30 or its equivalent isseated as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The bolts 30 extend through apertures31 of the members 23 and through aligning apertures 32 in the membersand project beyond the surfaces 26 ofthe latter; the projecting ends ofthe bolts 30 being screw threaded to receive the previously mentionednuts .28.

- In the practical assembling of the structure,'a lower clamping member23 is placed :iththe recesses 18 in" engagement with the.

spherical ends 15 of the tubes, after which the upper set of tubes isplaced in position with the spherical ends l t-within the re cesses 17The clamping members 23 are then placed over the upper ends of the bolts30 with their projections 25 in engagement with the collars 21, thewashers'27- and nuts 28 are placed upon the bolts and thenuts 28 arescrewed home to clamp the-parts securely in engagement. In this way theele ments constituting the entire group or as-' sembly are securelyfastened-together in an. eflicient and'simple manner. a

. It will-thus be seen that with the arrange- ,firent set forth theassembling of the various elements of the ;particular groups is reducedto a simple operation requlrmgonly a minimum of skill. andaconipa-ratively short period of time, as theconnecting member '19because of its rigid bar construction'serves to retain thetubes inproper relative positions and as the construction and arrange- 'ment ,ofthe clamping members enables the lower tubes'll, clamping members 23,bolts 30 and bar 19 to be held in position while v,

the upper tubes are in turn supported by the bar, the hands of theworkman are left free to manipulate the elements and to screw home thenuts. Furthermore, while neither the use of a ball shaped tubular memberseated within a conical seat to form a l1ne contact oint, nor the use ofa spher1- cal nut or washer seated within a simllar recess' is broadlynew, the combination of,

these features in a joint assembly has many important advantages,particularly for assembling superheater tubes, as such tubes are usuallyinstalled in very restricted spaces, either within or between the tubesof boilers, where it is very difficult for the workmen to align theparts with great accuracy. It will therefore be apparent that if in theassembling of the parts the tubular elements are not exactlyperpendicularto the bar 19 or if the clamps 23, 23 are not parallel, theefficiency of the connection is not impaired. i

\ Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be madewithin the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of myinvention. I claim:

The combination with a plurality of tubular elements arranged in axiallyaligned;

(pairs, of a connecting member consisting of an elongated soli'd barhaving a plurality ofspaced. separate through passages there-- 1n, and aplurality of seats, located in registering pairs upon opposite facesthereof at the ends of said passages, in which the ends of said tubularelements are adapted to be engaged to form a fluid tightjoint-with theiropposed ends fitted into one of said registering pairs of seats, andclamping means effective upon said elements whereby the ends thereof areforced into engagement with said recesses. r

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand.

BENJAMIN N. BRoino;

